Drive through the farmland surrounding Corning, Arkansas, and it doesn’t take long to understand just how important grain infrastructure is to the region.
Fields stretch toward the horizon. Soybeans fill one farm while rice grows around another. Irrigation pumps hum in the distance. And less than a mile apart, two grain storage sites owned by Alan Garland and serving the operation farmed by Wade Schimming demonstrate what it means to keep investing in the future of the farm.
Valley View Agri-Systems (VVA) has had the opportunity to help build both sites. And at one of them, VVA has had the opportunity to build it more than once.
Two Locations, One Farm Operation
Although they’re only about a three-minute drive apart, the two grain storage locations serve the operation with infrastructure positioned close to the acres being farmed.
At the location along the highway, Valley View installed three 48-foot, seven-ring Sukup grain bins. Each bin is equipped with two 40 HP Sukup three-phase electric fans to provide the airflow needed to help manage stored grain.
VVA also supplied a 2495 Batco conveyor that can be utilized between the two locations, giving the operation additional flexibility without unnecessarily duplicating equipment.
This summer, soybeans surrounded the site, creating a striking view from the ground and the air as the bins stood over the growing crop.
Just a few minutes away, the landscape changes from soybeans to rice and the second grain storage site comes into view.
Persistence After the Storm
The second location has a much different story. Valley View originally installed new bins at the site approximately five years ago. Since then, the property has been struck by tornadoes twice, with the severe winds flattening empty bins.
For many operations, seeing a major investment destroyed once would be difficult enough. Experiencing it twice could make anyone question what comes next.
But farming has never been an industry defined by giving up.
The bins were rebuilt.
Today, new grain storage once again stands on the property, ready to support the farm and another harvest. The site includes four new bins, six in total, ranging from 36 to 48 feet in diameter and up to seven rings, along with two 40 HP Sukup three-phase electric fans per bin for airflow.
The rebuilt system represents more than storage capacity. It is a visible reminder of the persistence required in agriculture.
Storms come. Plans change. Farmers rebuild and keep moving.
And VVA is proud to be there when they do.
A Different Kind of Grain Site
There’s something particularly memorable about this location during the growing season.
Rice surrounds the bins while the steady hum of irrigation pumps carries across the field. Wildflowers grow among the grain storage structures, adding an unexpected splash of color against the galvanized steel.
From the air, it’s a snapshot of modern Southern agriculture: crops, water, infrastructure and technology all working together.
But the real story isn’t simply what can be seen in photo.
It’s why the infrastructure is there.
Grain Storage Where It’s Needed
On-farm storage gives an operation more control over one of the busiest periods of the year. Positioning storage near production acres can help reduce transportation bottlenecks and provide more flexibility as grain comes out of the field.
For this operation, two nearby locations provide additional options for managing harvest while the shared Batco conveyor provides flexibility between sites.
The investments also reflect a larger reality of production agriculture: the infrastructure surrounding the crop matters.
Growing the grain is only part of the job. Farmers also need to move it, condition it, store it and ultimately get it to market.
That’s why Valley View approaches grain projects as systems rather than simply a collection of bins and equipment.
Built for the Farm. Supported for the Future.
From three bins along a row crop field to a rebuilt grain system surrounded by Arkansas rice, every operation has a different story and different requirements.
For Allen Garland and Wade Schimming’s operation, that story now includes two grain storage locations, years of growth, and more than a little resilience.
We were able to speak with Wade and he noted, “Valley View does a great job for us. They are always on time and quick with service work when we call.” He continued, “Jeremy Cude takes good care of us.” Wade and Jeremy have worked together for nearly a decade, building trust you come to rely on.
Valley View Agri-Systems is proud to have played a role in building the infrastructure that supports this operation.
And after tornadoes twice put that infrastructure to the test, we’re even prouder to see those bins standing once again. Because in agriculture, sometimes the most important part of building something isn’t the first time you put it up. It’s being there to help build it back.